Project information

Eco Stoves & Solar Cookers in Palabek Refugee Camp

Thousands of South Sudanese refugees are now in the Palabek Camps in Northern Uganda. Environmental degradation due to deforestation & charcoal burning is a risk. Well-designed Solar cookers can complement efficient charcoal stoves. We have several adults who could be trained in solar cooking.

Charity information: African Refugee Education Project

Need

Many thousands of newly arrived refugees at Palabek refugee camps in Northern Uganda are putting massive pressure on the capacity of the surrounding environment to support them. Charcoal burning is the usual cooking method. Clean-burning efficient charcoal stoves help reduce smoke levels significantly but solar cooking can also play a major role. The major issue with solar cooking is cultural change. Effective demonstrators are absolutely vital to successful adoption.

Solution

We have several young adults, themselves South Sudanese refugees from the second civil war, whom we have been supporting at good schools in Uganda since 2007. They are now educated to Senior 4, Senior 5 and Senior 6. We would like to train them and deploy them in 2018 in encouraging the roll-out of solar cooking in the Palabek camps. We have a local source of cost-effective solar cookers which have been successfully road tested at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.

Impact

The shift away from sole reliance on charcoal burning and the use of solar cooking brings its own tangible rewards:
1. reduced expenditure on charcoal,
2. fewer respiratory diseases due to absence of smoke inhalation,
3. reduced environmental degradation due to tree-felling.

Risk

Unrest in the refugee camps has already been reported. However, we know of 12 family groups who are in Palabek Ogili camp who are related to some of those who we want to deploy as solar cooking champions

Beneficiaries

Why Us?

We have already had a survey team of 3 people visit Palabek Ogili camp (May 2017).
We have up to 4 young adult refugees whom we have been educating at good schools in Uganda since 2007, eg Seeta High School Mukono. All have successfully reached Senior 4 (GCSE) and some have reached Senior 5 (Year 12) and some have reached Senior 6 (Year 13). These young adults will be our solar cooking champions. In addition, they will be motivated to succeed because some of their own families are in Palabek!